Despite an interesting premise, Two Dollar Bettor falls well short on delivery.The biggest problem being the main character John Hewitt, he lacks believability. John throws away his life betting on horses, without ever being interested in horse racing. Late in the film, we learn that John has just been betting on the one jockey and that's where his winnings came from and when that jockey wasn't riding, John was losing. Surely you would want to have a reason for your actions and an understanding of what is going on. When he is at the track late in the film, it is like he doesn't know anything. The race calling is also quite repetitive and dull.The whole film is pretty empty really, no depth in any of the characters. There are many scenes at home of his daughters and they're goings on, yet we don't really learn anything about them. The film is fairly short, which is part of the problem. I see no reason why this film couldn't be remade better.

And The Agony of Defeat. I've been an avid horse player for the last forty years and this film is an old style but truly realistic portrayal of what can happen to an addictive personality coupled with a big win the first time a man places money on a horse. It can work for any type of gambling but using horses as the money pit gives that little added class. The film is not the greatest piece of acting and writing but it is indeed a realistic look at the Easy Money syndrome Gamble sensibly. Gamble for fun, but never borrow money to gamble. Stay in touch with yourself...the film's message is clear and the minor faults of an early 50's plot are overlooked by this viewer. A hell of a rush to win but...

This is a very frustrating film to watch, as the film has some of the most inconsistent writing I've seen in a very long time. It's sad, as John Litel was great in the lead and the script still had an awful lot to like. Here's the main problem--when the main plot is in play and Litel is acting, the movie is wonderful. But, when he's at home with his family, it is just awful. Despite being a film noir-like film, the scenes at home are like a bad 1950s sit-com--with an awful lot of 'gee whiz' sort of dialog. This portion of the film came off as schmaltzy and fake--something odd for a film that, apart from that, is ultra-realistic and dark!! Perhaps the film was written by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!! The film begins at the race track. A middle-aged businessman has been invited there but he seems really bored. He's not a gambler and only places a bet after his friends pressure him. He's very lucky that day and makes a nice little killing. Unfortunately, like often happens with gambling addicts, this initial success only whets his appetite and soon he's a full-fledged gambler--with a full-fledged addiction. Now, he's spending all his savings and his life is a shambles--though so far no one suspects. He even begins stealing from his company and faces jail unless he does something. Where all this takes him is very sinister and exciting--and is a good morality tale about the dangers of gambling without coming off as preachy. Now if only they could have re-done those scenes with his annoying daughters and their equally annoying friends. Yuck! Worth a look AND it is in the public domain. This means you can follow the IMDb link and download the film for free!

**SPOILERS** Tragic story despite it's very contrived feel-good ending about a kind and caring man who never gambled in his life who gets caught up with the evils of uncontrolled and compulsive horse betting. This addiction leads him to embezzle the bank that he was employed at as the comptroller of some $16,000.00. Later he ends up killing two con artists in a gunfight that ended up with him getting fatally shot. It was the con artists who took advantage of his desperate situation and ripped him off of another $20,000.00 that he stole from the comptroller safe. The story of John Hewitt, John Litel, is like that of many sick and degenerate gamblers who end up not only destroying themselves but their family and friends as well by trying to make a quick buck at the racetrack casino or with their bookie. Widowed with two sweet teenage daughters that he would do anything for John worked in charge of the credit department in the biggest bank in Langsford and was a very respected man and pillar of the community.One afternoon John was invited by some of his friends to Langsford's Grandview Racetrack where for the first time in his life he made a bet at the urging of his brother-in-law George, Don Shelton and ended up winning some $200.00 betting on jockey Eddie Osborne. With John winning over $500.00 the next few days on his bets on horses rode by Osborne his luck changes when the jockey falls in a bad spill at the track. Betting other jockeys John ends up losing all his winnings as well as his life's saving and $14,000.00 of the banks money that he embezzled.With John later being promoted to bank comptroller which will triple his salary his books were about to be audited and him possibly being indited for grand larceny for the $14,000.00 he stole from the comptroller safe. John then sees redemption of his criminal deed in the sports pages in that Eddie Osborne was back at the races and he was riding on the horse Great Day at the opening day feature, The Boyue Handicap,at the Bolraguard Racetrack in New Orleans.With his bookie not taking a $2,000.00 bet on Great Day to win John flies down to New Orleans to bet the horse himself. It turns out that Great Day wins the race but is disqualified for impeding the placing horse, Conservasion, and put second with John losing all the money,$2,000.00, he bet on him.Completely financially destroyed and possible facing prison there's still one more surprise thats awaiting John and it has to do with his bookies go-between Mary Slate, Marie Windson, and her boyfriend Rick, Steve Brodie. The two got the emotionally unstable John into a betting sting where he was induced to steal another $20,000.00 from his bank to put on a "sure thing" at the racetrack.John gets the jump on both Mary and Rick when he calls the sport phone and finds out that the horse that he bet, Rickety Racks, was scratched from the race. When he called Rick's hotel room, to get the $20,000.00 back, he found out that he checked out and later that Mary also quit her job with John's bookie. Getting to Mary's apartment before she and Rick take off for Acapulco to get his $20,000.00 from the fleeing con artists there's a shoot-out with both Mary and Rick shot and killed and John fatally wounded. It's then that John drives,dying,to the house of his good friend and Langsford Bank president Charlston P. Adams,Robert Sherwood, and confesses the truth about what he did. Adams then promise's him that it would be a secret between both of them and that he'll tell the police that John was shot by a pair of crooks who robbed him of the bank money and with that the movie ends."Two Dollar Bettor" shows just how far the men, as well as women, who are hooked on gambling would go to not only win but break even for what they've lost at the racetrack.